Incubator



(No Model.)

A. P. HAZARD. INGUBATOR.

No: 446,133; Patented Feb. 10.1891.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR P. HAZARD, OF BROCK"ON, MASSACHUSETTS.

l-NCU BATQ R.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 446,133, dated February10, 1891.

Application filed September 15, 1890. Serial No. 364,994- (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ARTHUR P. HAZARD, of Brockton, in the county ofPlymouth and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Incubators, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to means for regulating the heating or warming ofthe hatchingchambers of incubators; and it has for its ob ject theprovision of improvement whereby the water by which the hatching-chamberis warmed may be maintained at, to all intents and purposes, anabsolutely-uniform degree of heat, and whereby, also, there may be noappreciable diminution of water in the boiler or water-apartments in theuse of the incubator.

To the foregoing ends my invention consists of the improvementshereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the annexeddrawings and the letters of reference marked thereon, forming a part ofthis specification, the same letters designating the same parts orfeatures, as the case may be, wherever they occur.

Of the drawings, Figure 1 Ba sectional side elevation of an incubatorprovided with my improvements. Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view ofparts of the same. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of my improved means foroperating the lever, which is connected with the lamp-extinguisher andregulates the flame by which the water is heated.

In the drawings, a designates the hatchingchamber, which is providedwith trays 1), upon which are placed the eggs 0.

d represents evaporating-pans placed below the egg-trays, and e is aventilating-pipe communicating between the hatching-chamber and theexterior of the incubator.

f is the boiler, the water in which is heated by a lamp or lamps g, achimney h extending .up part way through the boiler and out to theexterior atmosphere.

i is a lever pivoted upon a standard j and provided at its opposite endwith a wire or cord k, which is connected through the medium ofsuit-able levers or otherwise with the extinguisher on the lamp g insuch manner that when the forward end lever 2' is raised theextinguisher will be operated to lessen the flame of the lamp, and whenit is lowered the extinguisher will be actuated to increase the flame.

l designates the water-chamber, into which heated water is led from theboiler f by means of the pipe m, the cooling-water returning to theboiler through the pipe n, which may pass below the egg-trays andevaporating-pans.

All of the parts so far described may be of usual or suitable form andarrangement, since they alone constitute no part of mypresentimprovements.

Heretofore it has been proposed to actuate the lever i comformably withthe degree to which the water in the chamber Z was heated by providingthe top of said chamber with a tube communicating with the interior ofthe chamber and placing a float in said tube, so as to fit closelytherein and rest upon the water. A rod was connected with the said floatand extended up and was connected with the said lever, so that when thewater and atmosphere in the water-chamber were expanded by heat thefloat would rise, raising the lever and lessening the lamp-flame bymeans of the extinguisher, and as the expansive force in the chamber Zsubsided the lever i would belowered and the lamp-flame increased. Adifficulty with this contrivance arose from the fact that the floatoperated with more or less friction on the sides of the tube, andtherefore was uncertain and irregular in its efiect-s, and besides thismeans were afforded between the sides or edges of the float and thesides of the tube-for the escape and evaporation of water from the tankZ, thus continually varying the expansive force of the water and air inthe said tank. By one feature of my improvements this objection isovercome, and this feature of the invention will now be explained.

0 designates a tube provided withan annular chamber 9, the said tubebeing secured to the top of the incubator and communioat ing with thewater-chamber Z. The annular chamber 19 is, however, so constructed thatthe Water in the water-chamber cannot communicate therewith.

q designates an inverted-cup-shaped float arranged in the annularchamber 19, so that it may be moved up and down with freedom therein,and in oil or other suitable liquid r placed in the annular chamber, inorder to form an absolute trapping of the air and water in thewater-chamber Z. The inner face of the closed end of the cup q is madeof convex form, so that if steam should condense thereon it would dropfrom the center thereof back into the water-chamber Z and not be carrieddown on the sides of the cup q into the annular oil-chamber p. The cup qis connected with the lever i by means of a rod t. With thisconstruction and arrangement of parts it Will be seen that there is aperfect trapping of the Water and air in the waterchamber, and that thecup will operate with the utmost freedom in the annular chamber of thetube 0 and respond in its movements with entire exactness to the degreeof pressure in the water-chamber, so that the degree to which the wateris heated may be absolutely uniform.

Another difficulty experienced in the use of incubators has been thatthe water in the Water-chamber Z maintained a higher degree of heat inthe center than at the sides, for the reason that the heat at the sidesradiated the more readily. In order to overcome this difliculty, I leadthe water from the pipe on into the water-chamber Z through pipes in n,which branch from the pipe m and extend around, as near may-bedesirable, to the ends and sides of the water-chamber, and terminatewith open mouths or ends in the vicinity of the end of the return-pipeit, which latter device communicates with the water-chamber near theouter edge or wall thereof. I have ascertained that by these means thewater at the sides of the water-tank may be heated to an extentcorresponding with the rate at which the heat in the water is moregreatly radiated at the sides of the water-chamber than at the center,and by this mode I am enabled to maintain a uniform temperature of thewater in the water-chamber throughout all parts of the same.

It is obvious that changes may be made in the form and arrangement ofparts comprising my improvements without departing from the nature orspirit thereof.

Having thus explained the nature of my improvements and described a wayof 0011- structing and using the same, I declare that vided with anannular chamber and communicating with the Water-chamber, and aninverted cup arranged in'liquid in the said chamber, the inner surfaceof the closed end of the cup being of concave form, and connectionsbetween the said cup and lever, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses, this 6th day of September, A. D.1890.

ARTHUR P. IIAZARI).

\Vitnesses:

ARTHUR W. ORossLnv, A. D. HARRISON.

